30) Bitter (map disabled)

Please read the Introduction

This is a strenuous hike to a great observation point on top of the Waterpocket Fold. The trip gets into some wild country where bear tracks are not uncommon, there are occasional Lion droppings and Elk droppings are common. From the top the views stretch out to the Henry Mountains and desert areas north of them to the east. To the west are the Circle Cliffs, the enclosed area and mountains and ridges beyond. The trip starts off with easy trail walking but you pay the price on steep slickrock and broken hillside later.

TIME:6-8 hours.
ELEVATION GAIN:2,000 feet
DIFFICULTY:Easy route finding. Difficult scrambling.
MAPS: Sandy Creek Benches, Bear Canyon
GEOLOGY:Excellent regional views.
PLANTS:Quite a variety.
CIRCLE TRIP:No.
ACCESS:From the Visitor Center drive 9.2 miles east on Utah Highway 24 to the signed Notom Road. Turn right, (south) and drive 13.6 miles to the signed Sandy Ranch Junction. Take the right (south) fork and drive 8 miles to the signed Cedar Mesa Campground. Turn right (west). The hike starts at the back of the Campground (S).

For the first mile and one quarter the hike follows the Red Canyon trail which is really a 1950s mining era road. The trail starts at the barricade at the west end of the campground road and goes west along a Juniper lined route for a ways. The largest shrubs along the trail in that area are Fourwinged Saltbush. At the end of the line of Junipers the large shrub in the open area is Big Sage.

The route will turn south for a while, then 100 feet or so before turning west again there are a number of Dwarf Yucca plants in the middle of the road and off to the sides.

One hundred feet ahead, where the road bends west again the woody shrubs on the ridge are Birchleaf Mountain Mahogany.

Twenty minutes from the campground the road climbs steeply for a short distance to the top of a ridge where it turns hard right to head off northwest. That light gray rock on the top of the ridge is part of the lower member of the Morrison Formation (Saltwash). From the top of the hill looking east, the gray, soft looking, rounded hills a few hundred yards away are,part of the other prominent member, the Brushy Basin. Looking on a line to the pointed top of the highest part of the Henry Mountains (north end) the lowest ridge visible in the valley is the Ferron Member of the Mancos Shale. The next ridge, higher and farther back, is the Emery member and the farthest sandstone ridge before the Henry Mountains is the Mesa Verde Formation. The Henry Mountains are made of Granite that is 45 million years old; much younger than the Waterpocket Fold. Looking north, the mass of humps, bumps and peaks of tan sandstone are in the "Backbone" section of Capitol Reef. The red peak and cliff just to the left is Buck Point and can be climbed from the top of the South Draw road at the end of the Scenic Drive.

As the road continues it turns from a light gray color to a reddish color indicating a change in rock formations, then curves and goes west again.

Another significant curve takes a turn to the north and after going north for 100 yards the road makes a hard left turn and heads down into a wash.

Somewhere along the slope down to the wash the geologic formation changes to the Carmel Formation. The old road crosses the wash and cuts off a bend, then at a large Cottonwood Tree goes back into the wash and stays there for a long time. One hundred and fifty feet after reentering the wash there is a rock cliff on the right. The first part of the rock is Carmel Formation and the last, light tan part, is Navajo Sandstone. Just a couple minutes farther the wash goes north and there is already a tall cliff of Navajo Sandstone on the right (east). Where the wash turns back left (west) there is a large bush hugging the cliff. That is Littleleaf Mountain Mahogany. Follow the wash west about sixty feet away from the sandstone wall then turn right (north) (A) and go up the bank to start the off trail portion of the hike. Walk up the slope following the water scar and after about sixty feet a game trail will cross going up to the right (east). Cross that and continue up the slope to the next game trail which will climb to the right (east). Take that trail for a ways. About 200 yards from Red Canyon Wash the shape of this north trending valley is such that there is a wash on the west, a wash on the east and a vegetated, soil covered ridge in the middle.

Walk the ridge north for ten minutes or more until jagged Navajo Sandstone replaces the soft ridge. Walk left (west) of the jagged ridge and continue north along the easiest route while keeping an eye on the wash/canyon to the west (left). Only 200 feet or so before a deep east/west trending canyon cuts off travel north, the route goes west up the steep slope of the Fold right at the head of that west wash/canyon. A narrow, sandy, vegetated saddle separates the head of that canyon from another canyon coming in from the north. Walk easily down the sandstone slope to the saddle, then start the strenuous scramble to the top.

The goal, from the saddle, is to go up to the west following the ridge immediately south of the canyon that is now on the right (north). Unfortunately that ridge is ill defined for (D) the first 200 yards or so as minor canyons cut in from the north and south. Take what ever route you find workable with the idea that by the time the present skyline is reached there will be a defined ridge (F) to follow. Be sure to look back at the saddle as you climb. It can be difficult to find on the return trip.

Scramble to the top of the Fold where the high Navajo Sandstone ridge of VABM Bitter will be easily visible to the right (north). Walk north along the summit ridge until north of the canyon coming up from the left (west), then go left (west) up the Navajo slope to the top (E).

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